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Page 20B— COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — June 17-June 30, 2015
T he Northwest Douglas
County Economic
Development Corporation
exists to promote the region as a premier
place to locate or expand a business.
The Northwest Douglas County
EDC creates a strong local economy,
provides exclusive benefits to investors,
markets the community, is an advocate
for business with government and
partners to create infrastructure
improvements necessary to drive new
business to the region.
In the beginning, there was
fallow land, and an ambitious
idea.
The land, which dates back
to 1886 and encompasses 3,400
acres, inspired its new owner
Harold Smethills. Smethills and
his wife Diane bought the rolling
landscape in Douglas County,
within view of magnificent red
rock formations, and south of
Chatfield State Park.
In 2001, they purchased this
former working ranch from the
estate of Franklin and Joy Burns.
The late Burns was a developer,
homebuilder and namesake of
the University of Denver’s real
estate school. As Harold walked
across the land, he conjured a
vision – born from his sensitivity
of place to combine the best of
the Old West’s heritage with New
West ideas.
That vision broke ground on
June 6, celebrated by more than
150 friends and family, Colorado
Sen. Cory Gardner, Reps. Ken
Buck and Mike Coffman, and
legacy partners who also believe in
the stewardship of Sterling Ranch.
Those partners included
Mortenson Construction Co.,
Siemens Building Technologies
division, IBM, Corning, Centura
Health and Denver Botanic
Gardens, plus water and
environmental consultants,
engineering and landscape firms,
and attorneys.
Over the next 20 years, the
vision will revolutionize how
Colorado builds mixed-use
communities. A commitment
to an enduring stewardship
that respects natural resources,
embraces innovation and
technology, and provides multiple
generations with walkable villages
surrounded by open space is what
powers Smethill’s vision.
“We view ourselves as stewards
of this incomparable land and
its pristine nature. That’s why
we’ve taken a holistic approach to
water management and land-use
planning,” he said.
Smethills explained that
Sterling Ranch is defined as a 21st
century sustainable community
because of the conscious use of
water, technology and energy.
“We have a water demand
management system created
from independent water supplies.
We have a conjunctive water
system consisting of renewable
water, reservoirs and deep wells.
We also are the state’s first and
only rainwater harvesting pilot
program.”
He said Sterling Ranch will
use only one-third of the water
required by Douglas County.
Furthermore, Sterling Ranch
has partnered with Denver
Botanic Gardens and developed a
complete palette of plants, designs
and efficient irrigation systems
that will transform the rugged
landscape so residents, businesses
and nature can live in harmony.
Jim Yates, president of Sterling
Ranch Development Company,
added, “The new community will
be designed with a small-town feel
and neighborhood destinations
you can walk to like coffee shops,
pocket parks, open space and
access to regional parks. We’ll also
incorporate water-smart gardens
with drought-tolerant plants and
native plant species, bird-friendly
yards, and a conservation plan
to protect the area’s wildlife
habitats.”
The emerging vision calls for
nine villages built around an
innovative Town Center that
includes a youth athletes’ village,
five elementary schools, middle
school and high school, plus land
set aside for a higher education
complex. Sterling Ranch will also
develop a 20-acre medical village
with holistic and traditional health
services. Plus, an estimated 2
million square feet of commercial
real estate (retail and office) will
be located in and around the
Town Center.
ProvidenceVillage will be the
first village built and will include
655 single-family detached
homes; 144 single-family attached
homes; 85 acres of open space; a
K-8 school; church; civic center;
recreation center; and a fiber-
optic network delivering 1GB of
bandwidth to each home.
Brock Smethills, COO,
Sterling Ranch Development
Company, said, “We recognize
the importance of the digital
workplace so we will include a
state-of-the-art fiber-optic network
throughout the community. Our
technology will offer the fastest
residential Internet speeds, live
streaming, street lighting and
outdoor security systems, home
automation and unique consumer
electronics.”
Within the community,
residents will be able to enjoy
30 miles of hiking, biking and
horseback trails that connect to
two state parks. Nearly 40 percent
of the land will be devoted to
open space with natural wildlife
corridors for deer and elk.
When fully developed, Sterling
Ranch Colorado will be home to
12,000 housing units. This $4.3
billion project is estimated to
generate an economic impact of
1,000 construction jobs and create
more than 9,000 permanent
jobs at build-out. The economic
impact to the region is estimated
to be $411 million. (Source:
Development Research Partners).
For more information: www.
sterlingranchcolorado.com or
.
NWDouglasCounty EconomicDevelopmentCorp.
Amy Sherman
President, Northwest Douglas
County EDC